Business Commons^™

Creative Brief For The University Of Arkansas Student Technology Center, Emma Sutherland

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Creative Brief for the University of Arkansas Student Technology to improve the awareness and quality of the center.

From Espresso To Frappuccino: Analyzing Starbucks' Business Plan For Entering The Italian Market, Cameron Demott

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Starbucks is a multinational coffeehouse chain founded in Seattle, Washington in 1971 (Starbucks, 2023). The company has become one of the world's most recognizable brands, with over 30,000 locations in 78 countries worldwide (Starbucks, 2023). The coffee house has a reputation for providing high-quality coffee, great customer service, and a unique in-store experience. Americans view Starbucks as the golden standard for coffee shops and admire the brand for its success. After establishing a strong presence in the market in the United States, Starbucks decided to go global. In 1996, the chain opened its first store overseas in Japan and then …

Business Plan For Destraal Bakery, Lauren Frazier

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Destraal Bakery is a bakery café that will offer patrons a space to slow down and treat themselves. Offering bread products and coffee, Destraal differentiates itself through product quality, shop atmosphere, delivery, and social responsibility. Destraal will eventually seek B- Corp status.

Located in West Colorado Springs, more specifically, Old Colorado Springs, Destraal will benefit from grants and loans offered to female entrepreneurs, high levels of tourism and foot traffic, and close proximity to the target demographic. In a growing industry, Destraal is forecasted to be profitable within the first year. The bakery café will achieve 14% profit margin in …

Just Be Happy?: Investigating The Role Of Joy In Influencer Marketing Campaigns Within The Fitness Industry, Grace Gill

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Influencer marketing has become exceedingly relevant with the rise of the digital age, difficulties of the attention economy, and successes of social media marketing. Clearly, influencer marketing can be advantageous for brands, however research is limited, and best practices are generalized. This particular research focuses on influencer marketing in the fitness industry and best practices for brands implementing fitness influencers. This paper specifically analyzes the emotion breakdown of fitness influencers’ content and the value of portraying joy through branded content to the success of these influencer marketing campaigns. Through comparing quantitative data collected from third-party platforms with data gathered through …

The Ethical Implications Of The Multi-Level Marketing Industry, Lauren Longworth

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The first multi-level marketing (MLM) businesses were created in the early 20th century and have seen a substantial increase in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic due to their work-from-anywhere nature. Multi-level marketing is “the practice of distributing, selling or supplying products or services through various levels of independent agents” (Koehn, 2001, p. 153). As working from home became the norm in the past few years, MLM businesses promised financial freedom, a steady income, and opportunities for growth, all by working on the Internet. What was often less transparent is the likelihood of these independent agents making a profit. Distributors have …

Corporate Social Responsibility: The Case Of The Alcohol Industry, Amanda Kidd

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis is a research study on the practices of the alcohol industry in relation to alcohol abuse, using spirits as a case study. This thesis begins by looking at statistics about people experiencing addiction and the alcohol industry as a whole. This thesis talks about what spirits companies are currently doing and how they could be more socially responsible. It will take a deep dive in 10 spirits companies, looking at their practices and what they are doing about alcohol responsibility. The purpose of this study is to advocate for alcohol brands to go a step further in assisting …

Challenges And Recommendations For Disaster Response For The Medical Supply Chain: A Case Study Of Hurricane Laura, Anna Catron Lee

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

There are many areas that need improvement in the medical supply chain when it comes to humanitarian disaster responses specifically related to hurricanes. The purpose is to provide an overview of the various factors and challenges in the medical supply chain that must be considered when responding to a hurricane disaster, focusing specifically on Hurricane Laura. Specifically, I focus on five key issues that I assembled based on the literature that must be taken into account when responding to hurricane disaster: (1) availability of resources, (2) inventory management control, (3) risk management strategies, (4) coordination among stakeholders, and (5) debris …

A Live Performance Guide: Building A Concert, Genevieve White, Genevieve White

Honors College Theses

Many are unaware of the production process when it comes to live performances in the Music Industry. While the obvious barriers of obtaining a time, place, and performer can be easily concluded, many outside of the industry fail to consider other components that contribute to successful performances. The attainment of proper contracting, performance licenses, and music materials are just a few examples of the thought and preparations that go into planning and accomplishing a successful concert.

This project, from conception to execution, was intended to further my knowledge of live performance through the utilization of classroom education and industry experience. …

Exploring Antecedents Of Generation Y And Z Customers’ Intention To Adopt Cryptocurrency Payments In The Context Of Hotels: A Sequential Mixed-Methods Study, Jehun Moon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Cryptocurrency payments (CPs) are an innovative technology that can disrupt the hospitality industry. However, studies on the antecedents of CP adoption are scarce. To bridge this gap, this study targeted Gen Y and Z, the potential primary user groups, to explore the determinants of intention to adopt CPs. A mixed-methods approach was used to capture the depth and breadth of understanding of factors that impact Gen Y and Z customers’ CP adoption intentions. Study 1, a qualitative study, was utilized to acquire contextualized components. In parallel, Study 2 used a quantitative approach to validate the proposed research model, which combined …

Understanding The Operations And Decision-Making Of Cow-Calf Farmers In Northwest Arkansas, Clayton Weyl

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Societal pressure on farmers has become a more central part of the rhetoric surrounding livestock production. This study includes farmers in the discourse on the rhetoric surrounding climate change via interviews and simulations tailored to their operation. Previous research has addressed regenerative agricultural practices and conditions that influence farmer decision-making, but little research has analyzed decision-making in tandem with environmental practices. The literature reveals that cow-calf producer decision-making is influenced by their reliance on cattle as an income source, and farmers overall choose climate-friendly practices based on their perceptions about climate change. The goal of this research was to gather …

Foreign Ownership Of Agricultural Land In The United States: A Case Study Concerning The 2023 Grassroots Policy And Legislative Landscape, Mary Eichenberger

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Historically, foreign ownership of land in the United States has existed for centuries. Many state laws expressly allow for foreign ownership of agricultural land in their state. However, this study will find that a push to amend these laws has begun in recent years in state and federal legislatures. Grassroots member-focused agricultural organizations, representative of the agricultural community, have also seen a shift in member-developed policy. This shift is toward an attitude of concern and increased oversight of foreign land investment. From the data gathered, it can be inferred that public awareness in the agricultural community is increasing concerning foreign …

Consolidated Training Curriculum, Braden Myers

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The onboarding and training process is a crucial part of any business’s hiring process. Through a robust training system, a business can streamline the downtime it takes for a new employee to “learn the ropes.”

This phenomenon can be very pronounced in businesses with complex programs and tasks, like the accounting profession.

Through the coordination of three different departments, a web-based learning software, and administration, the creation of a centralized training platform was the goal.

This framework allows the managers to easily apply their lesson plans and quickly distribute these lessons to staff and interns

Accountng Analysis Of A Goodwill Industries International, Elizabeth Howard

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Goodwill Industries International has clean financial health. They are liquid after COVID but plan to invest in different services directed at digital skills. They have no long-term debt, which frees up cash for services and can be considered a strength. Weaknesses in the financials directly attributable to COVID were: a cancellation of 2 million dollars’ worth of pledges in 2020, a decrease of 40 million dollars of program expense over two years, and a drop in investment return to 2.88%. Program expense ratio and Fund-Raising ratio are excellent at 91% and 2.2% respectively in 2021. Weaknesses I find are mostly …

Lighting And Furniture In Higher Education: The Impact Of Classroom Environmental Features On Student Learning Perceptions, Robert Mcdonald

Honors Theses

Universities worldwide are undertaking extensive renovations and new construction projects to enhance their facilities. These efforts include upgrading flooring, repainting walls, purchasing new furniture, and updating lighting. With many outdated classrooms, institutions redesign older spaces and invest in more modern facilities to create comfortable and collaborative environments. Researchers and commercial manufacturers have studied the significant impact of classroom environments on students' mental well-being, perceptions, and learning performance. However, while research shows the effects of school environments on Pre-K - 12 students, limited studies have focused on the impact of classroom environments in higher education. This research aims to fill this …

Multivariate Econometric Regression Of Factors That Determine Form Of Disposition Of Human Remains Using Archival Death Certificates, Salt Lake County, Utah, Delphine T. Feigenbaum

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project considers the inescapable and burgeoning issues concerning the long-term allocation of scarce natural resources between the living and the deceased. America’s population growth will demand more space and maintenance resources used for disposition. To meet the forthcoming exigencies, economic planners need to address natural resource availability for future generations while incorporating sustainable and innovative technologies to prohibit environmental injustice.

The goals are to answer the following questions: How do demographical variables, age and sex influence the choice of disposition? How do cause of death variables influence the choice of disposition? I also evaluate the hypothesis that the average …

Historic Downtown Streetscape Plan Price City, Utah, Patricia Beckert

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The idea of a small-town Main Street has profound meaning within the American culture that has prevailed for the past two centuries. Historically, Main Street serves as the beating heart of a community, a place where economic, social, cultural, and civic activities are centered (Francaviglia, 1996; Main Street America, n.d.). Since the beginning of the 19th century, many factors have led to the decline of Main Streets, and despite a variety of efforts from different stakeholders, that decline has only intensified in recent decades (Isenberg, 2008; Orvell, 2014 Howard, 2015). In 1980, after a three-year project conducted by the National …

Post-Covid-19 Employee Satisfaction: An Examination Of Flexible Work Arrangements, Joshua Cooper

Honors Theses

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses had to switch their strategy to stay afloat in such unprecedented times. One way that businesses, as well as entire industries, pivoted was by using flexible work arrangements to alleviate the stress and potential danger of employees gathering at work. The addition of flexible working arrangements into industries has created an entirely different world of work that challenges the traditional form of working in a face-to-face format. Moving forward, after the pandemic, industries have to accommodate for these more present working conditions that impact how employees view their satisfaction with their job. This research …

Essays On Behavioral Decision Making In Crowdfunding Environments, Bright Frimpong

Theses and Dissertations

Crowdfunding has revolutionized the world of financing. From entrepreneurs to financially excluded individuals seeking funding for essential projects, crowdfunding provides an expansive platform for project founders to raise needed capital for pending or ongoing projects. In addition to raising capital, founders also use crowdfunding to test market an idea, gain exposure for future funding, gain validation, and build trusting relationships with backers (Zhou et al., 2018). However, the success of crowdfunding is dependent on crowd participation- backer support and funding. The importance of crowd participation in crowdfunding is not limited to project funding, but also building public involvement and support …

A Comprehensive Compilation Of Accounting Case Studies And Analyses, Erin Morgan

Honors Theses

The following thesis consists of a collection of case studies surrounding accounting and related topics. These case studies were written and directed under Dr. Victoria Dickinson during the enrollment of Honors Accountancy 420 to fulfill the requirements for the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Five of my cases specifically correlate to the company Johnson & Johnson for the case competition that was presented at the end of the semester to accounting professionals from numerous firms. The other cases include a variety of accounting topics. Through this thesis, I discovered a deeper understanding of accounting and related topics which will benefit …

A Consumer's Guide To Greenwashing, Katie Fowler

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Over the past 37 years since the term greenwashing was coined, there have been sparse attempts to regulate this deceptive environmental marketing. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) created its Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, also known as the Green Guides, in 1992. The Guides have been revised on three separate occasions – 1996, 1998, and 2012 – in an attempt to remain relevant with the proliferation of environmental marketing claims and trends. However, the Guides were created as interpretive rules that do not give the FTC the authority to enforce the regulations unless they can prove that …

Recruiting Gen Z: An Emerging Talent Internship Thesis At Petsmart, Emma Jewell Symancyk

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the summer of 2021, I served as the Emerging Talent intern in Human Resources for PetSmart. While this internship was virtual, PetSmart is the largest pet retailer and is headquartered in Phoenix Arizona. I served as the Human Resources intern in Emerging Talent. The Emerging Talent team is responsible for recruiting and developing the future talent of PetSmart through identifying diverse top-caliber talent and positioning the organization as an employer of choice. Over the summer, I was tasked with developing a campus ambassador program for talent acquisition to increase diversity in the variety of roles and programs that Emerging …

Social Entrepreneurship And Its Impact On Women In Poverty., Allison Primm

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Poverty is a complex issue that will require complex solutions. There is a disconnect between the two as people living in poverty usually connect it to ideas of self-esteem, pride, and confidence. In contrast, people who aren't living in it will connect poverty to the lack of material possessions and more physical needs. Proposed solutions and ventures that seek to assist those living in poverty must consider that each individual living in poverty has a different situation. This paper will explore the effect that social enterprises have on Women in poverty by providing employment, training, and support. The company Trades …

Ethics-Related Cheap Talk In 10-Ks, Sedat Erdogan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this study, I investigate the existence of direct ethics-related cheap talk in 10-Ks. Firms can utilize ethics-related language in 10-Ks to emphasize the importance of ethics or ethical behaviors. Direct ethics-related language in corporate financial disclosures may increase the stakeholdersâ?? expectation that firms act ethically. However, ethics-related language in 10-Ks shows cheap talk characteristics since it is qualitative, unaudited, not binding, and not costly to generate. As a result, firms may increase the extent of direct ethics-related language in 10-Ks to obfuscate corporate financial disclosures to confuse stakeholders. I focus on regulatory and financial pressure sources to understand ethics-related …

Online Food Delivery Platforn Use By Restaurants, Jessica Felix Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

During the COVID-19, many restaurants were forced to adopt online food delivery platforms such as Door Dash, Uber Eats to serve their clientele. In this dissertation, I examine the following research question: what challenges and benefits did restaurant managers consider to adopt online food delivery platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic? To answer this question, I present three essays. In the first essay, I reviewed the existing academic and practitioner literature on the research context, identified the major players in the food delivery industry, and summarized the challenges that restaurants faced during the pandemic. In the second essay, I identified what …

Essays On Reit Founder Ceos, Michael Mcgonigle

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

I explore how founder CEOs influence the firm. In my first chapter I examine how founderCEO risk-aversion affects firm capital structure. Using book and market leverage ratios to proxy for risk aversion, I show that REITs with founder CEOs have less leverage than other REITs. This result holds when controlling for firm size, firm age, tangibility, profitability, growth potential, diversification strategy, property-type fixed effects and year fixed effects. I use a propensity score matching methodology to examine whether the reduced leverage is due to factors other than a CEO's founder status. The results do not support that notion. I use …

Creating Jo, Jenna Olson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

With the rise of technology, physical invitations have largely been replaced by digital invitations and e-cards. This change in invitation culture has led to less time and energy being spent on celebrating important life events. I created JO to help individuals elevate the important moments in their lives through intentional communication and beautiful designs. JO products seek to display effective, aesthetically pleasing, and meaningful messaging. This project documents my business, JO, through a written business plan and website.

A business plan aims to demonstrate a well-developed idea to gain support and investment. My business plan includes an executive summary, company …

Performance Classification Of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck-Type Models Using Fractal Analysis Of Time Series Data., Peter Kwadwo Asante

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation aims to assess the performance of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck-type models by examining the fractal characteristics of time series data from various sources, including finance, volcanic and earthquake events, US COVID-19 reported cases and deaths, and two simulated time series with differing properties. The time series data is categorized as either a Gaussian or a Lévy process (Lévy walk or Lévy flight) by using three scaling methods: Rescaled range analysis, Detrended fluctuation analysis, and Diffusion entropy analysis. The outcomes of this analysis indicate that the financial indices are classified as Lévy walks, while the volcanic, earthquake, and COVID-19 data are classified …

Ceo Political Ideology And Risk Factor Disclosure, Jiwoo Seo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

I examine whether and how CEO political ideology affects risk factor disclosure. Since 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has required U.S. firms to disclose risk factors in their 10-K filings. While prior studies document that this required disclosure increases the information content of financial reports, there is limited evidence on how Chief Executive Officer (CEO) personality traits influence risk factor disclosure. In this paper, I focus on CEOs' political ideology to proxy for their personality traits. Using CEOs' personal political contributions data to capture their political ideology, I find that firms with Republican-leaning CEOs provide less risk factor …

The Role Of The Similarity Between Suppliers' And Buyers' Sustainability Practices In Improving Suppliers' Performance: An Empirical Investigation, Kwanheui Cheon

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability has become an essential component of corporate survival and prosperity. As a result, companies are eager to introduce sustainability to every part of their businesses. In addition, because stakeholders' interest has spread from companies to their entire supply chain, companies must manage their relationships with other supply chain members regarding sustainability. Consequently, there has been an interest in investigating the implementation and management of sustainability along supply chains. However, there are still voids in sustainable supply chain management research. For example, scholars have pointed out the need for research on sustainability from a supplier perspective as opposed to the …

Investigating The Costs And Economic Impact Of Flight Delays In The Aviation Industry And The Potential Strategies For Reduction, Ashmith Anupkumar

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study addressed a critical issue in our travel life: flight delays. This study covers all aspects of a flight delay, from its causes and consequences to reduction strategies. The focused research questions were: To determine the outcome of flight delays in the aviation industry, to determine costs associated with flight delays for airlines, airports, and passengers, and to determine strategies for reducing flight delays in the aviation industry for robust findings. The findings for each question were as follows: the primary causes were overscheduling, airport hubbing, late check-ins, technical failure, etc. And the consequences were significant financial loss, the …